Another study finds colonoscopy can save lives

A new study that included almost 1,100 patients found that those whose cancer was spotted by colonoscopy tended to have an earlier stage of disease at the time of their diagnosis, as well as better survival.

In contrast, patients whose colorectal cancer was not diagnosed through colonoscopy were at higher risk of having more invasive tumors, as well as cancers that had already spread to other areas of the body.

The findings provide "yet another compelling reason for asymptomatic, average-risk individuals over the age of 50 to get screened by colonoscopy," said Dr. David Carr-Locke, chief of the division of digestive diseases at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Carr-Locke was not involved in the study.

The findings were published online June 19 in the journal JAMA Surgery.

In the study, researchers led by Ramzi Amri, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, looked at outcomes for nearly 1,100 patients treated for colon cancer. In 217 cases, the cancer had been spotted in a screening colonoscopy.

At the time of their diagnosis, patients whose cancers had not been spotted via colonoscopy had nearly double the odds of having an invasive tumor compared to those whose tumor had been found through a colonoscopy. They also had more than three times the odds for a metastatic tumor that had spread to other parts of the body, the researchers reported.

During follow-up, patients not diagnosed through colonoscopy screening had higher death rates, higher cancer recurrence rates, shorter survival and shorter lengths of time during which they were cancer-free, the team found.

"Compliance to screening colonoscopy guidelines can play an important role in prolonging longevity, improving quality of life, and reducing health care costs through early detection of colon cancer," Amri and colleagues wrote.

Since they were introduced in 2000, colonoscopy guidelines recommended by the U.S. National Institutes of Health appear to have decreased overall rates of colorectal cancer, the researchers said.

Dr. Maurice Cerulli, program director in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, N.Y., agreed that the adoption of routine colonoscopy has "resulted in a decrease in the number of people dying from colon cancer over the past decade."

Related Stories

A new study has found that women can be screened for colorectal cancer at least five to 10 years later than men when undergoing an initial "virtual colonoscopy." Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the ...

(HealthDay)—Approximately one-third of patients with normal results on their first and second colonoscopies after undergoing curative resection for colorectal cancer undergo subsequent surveillance colonoscopies ...

A new study led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania adds support to current medical recommendations stating that screening colonoscopy substantially reduces an average-risk adult's likelihood ...

In 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) halted reimbursement for so-called "virtual colonoscopy" for routine colon-cancer screening in asymptomatic patients, in part due to concerns over how this procedure, ...

Recommended for you

The shortage of kidneys needed for organ transplantation in the U.S. can be alleviated in part by using select kidneys with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), resulting in safe and positive outcomes, according to research conducted ...

Research by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests that having a short series of phone conversations with trained counselors can substantially boost recovery and reduce pain in patients after spinal surgery.

Around 10,000 patients undergo shoulder surgery in Ontario every year and most go home the same day. Since it's quite a painful procedure, a lot of effort goes into making sure patients can manage their pain while at home ...

As the United States faces transplant waiting lists that continue to grow longer over time, there is increasing debate about the proper way to incentivize living donations. Transplant professionals are trying to find ways ...

A Spanish hospital said Monday it has successfully carried out the world's most complex face transplant, reconstructing the lower face, neck, mouth, tongue and back of the throat of a man terribly disfigured by disease.

Adding to the clinical benefits and improved patient outcomes associated with minimally invasive surgery, Medtronic highlighted a study published in the March 25 online edition of JAMA Surgery. The new study demonstrated that p ...

User comments

Please sign in to add a comment.
Registration is free, and takes less than a minute.
Read more

Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.